September 29, 2016

2016 Fall Must Haves

Every year we like to put a list together of fall’s equestrian must haves. With fall officially upon us, we didn’t want to let our readers down. Below are some items we believe are trending (or will be)!

EquiFit EqTeq Boots: If you are an equitation rider, EquiFit’s new line of boots designed specifically for the equitation ring are exactly what you need. These boots are sophisticated, yet simple, while still offering all of the protection EquiFit users have come to know and love. Most unique is the ImpacTeq Peel Away Liners can be completely customized to your horse’s legs, compensating for uniquely shaped legs, an injury or wound, or other issues that may make your horse’s legs hard to fit. And, as always, the boots are extremely easy to care for with a washable shell and liners. They retail for $249.95.

EcoLicious Waterless Squeaky Green & Clean Shampoo: This item ($29.95 at SmartPak) is not new, per se, but it is certainly an essential for the cooler months when you might not be able to give your horse a bath. Not every barn is equipped with an indoor wash stall, warm water, or heat lamps to quicken the drying process and make a bath during cold temperatures more bearable. I am a huge fan of EcoLicious Equestrian’s Waterless Shampoo, and I have tested it on my own horses, including my pony’s infamous poopy butt. It truly works, and it makes keeping your horse clean during the cold weather much easier. (Note: To read my full review of this product, click here.)

SmartPak Blanket App: This is another item that is not necessarily new, but definitely something you should have to ensure your horse is warm and toasty during those cool, cold, and downright frigid nights. Though it is not foolproof, and ultimately you know what’s best for your horse, it can give you a ballpark idea of what type of blanket your horse should have on during the day and night based on the weather and other questions it asks about your horse such as its age, weight, where it lives most of the time, etc. To download the app, you can go here. To read a full review, go here.

Back On Track Baby Pads: I LOVE baby pads. In fact, they’re really almost all I use. I just discovered recently that Back On Track came out with their own line of baby pads. The pads provide the same technology as the regular BOT pads except they’re in baby pad form. I do not own these yet, but I will definitely be adding one or two to my stash. They retail for $49 on the Back On Track website and come in white and black.

Subscription to Heels Down Magazine: Full Disclosure: I am a regular writer for the magazine. When the weather is cold and you just can’t go outside, it’s always nice to snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa or tea and read something. If you haven’t read Heels Down Magazine, you are missing out on a wealth of knowledge. Heels Down Magazine features articles by a bunch of Amateur equestrians on a breadth of topics including training for both horse and rider, balancing relationships and riding, mental preparation for shows, interviews with big name and up and coming riders, legal topics (by yours truly), and more. You can access the app here. You can purchase an individual issue for $4.99, and a subscription is $3.99 a month. The magazine is also full interactive and digital which makes it above other equestrian magazines out there. There are interactive ads, videos, and much more, making it one-of-a-kind amongst equestrian publications out there.

Kastel Denmark Sun shirts: These shirts have become extremely popular as of late. They have UV protection, inner sleeve cooling mesh, are breathable, have antibacterial odor reduction, and come in a variety of color combinations. They also come in long-sleeve, short-sleeve, and a variety of other options to suit any equestrian’s needs. If you love sun shirts, these are a must have, especially for the cool, crisp fall weather coming up. While at various price points, the long-sleeve model retails for $75.00. Kastel Denmark also has a variety of other fall friendly items to look at!

The Legal Equestrian Sun shirts: Sun shirts are hugely popular, and we couldn’t go through a whole list of fall must haves without mentioning our very own sun shirt products! Our sun shirts come complete with our logo, and they are completely customizable. You can place an order by emailing thelegalequestrian@gmail.com with your color choices, which can be found here (Price: $50.00). You can also get sun shirts that have Gingham accented cuffs and collars, found here (Price: $55.00). They are super breathable, lightweight, and stylish. I wore my new sun shirt on one of the hottest days of the year while schooling at a horse show, and I was completely comfortable!

Mane Jane Spur Straps & Reversible Belts: I have been promoting these for a while (Disclosure: I am an East Coast Representative for the company), but I 100% stand behind the product). The leather is super high quality, and the products are fully customizable. For belts, you choose two colors of leather, thread color, buckle color, and give your custom measurements so the belt is cut fit your body type. For the spur straps, you pick a leather color, thread color, buckle color, and charms. The best part? They are acceptable in all three rings. I know hunter riders that use 13700178_10206803340705512_1150931826835109755_n-2 these spur straps in the hunter ring. I know equitation riders that use these spur straps in the eq ring. There’s just enoughh bling to make them custom and unique, but not enough for a judge to notice. Of course – charms and bling are different riders’ cup of tea, but I adore the product. Furthermore, if you order through me, you get a 10% discount on your order – how great is that?! I adore these products, and the reversible belts are a great, more affordable, yet high quality, alternative to the ever popular, coveted Hermes belts which are huge bank breakers. Without the discount, belts are $120 and spur straps are $40.

Ecogold Jumper Flip Half Pad and Heels Down Jumper Pad.

Ecogold: As many of you know, I officially switched to Ecogold not long ago. Their products are better quality, have better science behind them, and are simply a better value. If you haven’t tried these pads, I highly recommend them. They have a variety of half pads and regular pads to suit your needs. Plus, their products are backed by some of the greatest in the business like McLain Ward, Scott Stewart, William Fox-Pitt, John French, Hope Glynn, Boyd Martin, Brittni Reflowitz, and most recently, Juan Matute Guimon. For a full review on Ecogold products, click here or here. Plus, they have amazing customer service and superb shipping time. If you’re on the fence about half pads, Ecogold is quickly rising above the rest as the go-to pad to support horses’ backs and riders.

What is on your fall must haves list? Leave us a comment below!

August 31, 2016

Product Review: EquiFit GelSox

Written by Liv Godfrey.

—

So recently I discovered that even though I adore Lulu’s back T-Foam EquiFit boots, naturally from working, footing slides in between the liners and her hind legs. It was a substantial amount of footing, and her legs were getting really gross, but I didn’t want to buy a new pair of boots as mine are pretty new and still in great condition.

Photo Credit: SmartPak.com

I opted for a product I’ve heard of before from my lifetime groom, Aurora Luce, which would be the EquiFit GelSox. These come in black and tan, but SmartPak only offered tan. The socks came in a nice, heavy duty plastic baggie (that you can definitely store your Sox in). They’re about 2 inches thick when both sides are put together and no longer than a forearm. The outside is a non-slip material that’s kind of similar to Ecogold, and the inside is a clear, non-slip soft gel.

The Sox are designed to support your horse’s legs and keep them dry, clean, cool, and comfortable. I truly believe they do exactly what they are advertised to do, as Lulu moved and jumped amazingly in them. Her hind end was really clean and careful with these on, and she didn’t move differently in any negative way.

When I first put them on her, it took her a second to feel what was going on, but she got used to them really quickly and at the end of our ride the Sox had compressed down probably ½ an inch. I put my T-Foam hind boots right over them (which didn’t move an inch!), and there was still footing under the boot; however, with the GelSox on Lulu had no idea.

The best way to put these on are to bunch them up into a “ring” like a riding sock and stretch them over the foot on the ankles. I then pull them up and adjust them how I like. You do have the option of cutting these socks into a different size, but I haven’t done that because I like the length of them as they come.

Overall I really love these and recommend them to anyone who is looking for extra support on the front or hind end. They’re also really great because your EquiFit boots can go right over them comfortably! They’re easy to clean after each ride as I just rinse both the insides and outsides with cold water and leave them on my trunk to dry overnight.

I think they would be really great for a horse that just needs light protection in turnout too as they don’t fall down, and they protect every inch of the leg. Also, if you have a high-performance athlete, these are great for hand walking. Lastly, EquiFit makes “sox” (called Gel Bands) for humans as well which support ligaments and provide ultimate comfort. Overall I definitely recommend these to anyone whose horse’s legs are sensitive or to anyone that wants an easy way to add some extra protection to their partner’s legs.

August 29, 2016

Lulu’s first away show

By Olivia Godfrey.

—

Recently as I’m sure many of you have seen on my Twitter, my horse Lulu and I attended Grazing Fields Farm’s Head of The Bay Classic in Buzzards Bay, MA (Cape Cod). This was Lulu’s first stay-in-a-tent-for-a-week show, and I was very excited to see how she would handle the transition and new environment for the week. I’ve been to grazing fields multiple times for one day shows, and I have competed in the HOTB Classic for years prior to this one, so, I was very prepared and knew exactly what to expect of the show which I think helped Lulu a lot. When we arrived on Tuesday Lulu had no idea what to think. She stepped off the trailer and looked around, but was very timid towards the tents. She didn’t really know what to think when I asked her to walk into the big, white and blue attraction (the tent). However, eventually, with some trepidation, she finally walked in and relaxed once I put her in the stall which would be her new home for the week.

The first day was pretty quiet, and I was just focused on unpacking and settling Lulu in for the night. After I was organized I took Lulu for another small hand walk around the farm to show her the tents and other little things that changed because of the classic. I then hopped on and took her for a hack, and she felt really great, so I was super confident about showing the next day. I was my own groom the entire week, which was SO exhausting. Side Note: Props to those who care for and show multiple horses on their own.

The next day we were showing, so after a quick Starbucks stop (which was only 2 minutes away from the show grounds…. amazing) I arrived at around 6 A.M. I immediately went to the ring to look over the class sizes and enter myself in the puddle and training that were running that day. I decided to skip the warm-up because Lulu has been to the show so many times, and I don’t mind going in cold. Additionally, her puddle round is considered to be her warm-up class for that day. The first round (puddle) went really well, and she was clean except for one rail in the jump off, which was a rider error. The second round went better in the sense that she was faster and more responsive; however (rider error again) we had 2 rails in the power, so we didn’t make it to the speed. The first rail was me not setting her up well enough (however she should’ve helped me out), and the second was a schooling rail; when you add an extra stride to get a rub or a knock down so the horses pickup their feet. After the schooling rail, she went clean and jumped much better, so I was pleased!

The rest of the week was pretty light, and I lunged and hacked around the show every day that we weren’t showing. I was alone for the second half of the show because the farm whose stall I was able to take only stayed the first week. This made it really challenging, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure I cared for my horse the best way I could. Lulu only had one scare when she was slightly dehydrated and acted colic-y. However, I called the vet and gave her some milk of magnesia and thankfully she was much better the rest of the night and the next day.

Grazing Fields Farm is so beautiful and has so much land to explore. It’s honestly one of the most relaxing places I’ve ever been. They have a great size flat grass field, which is awesome for lessons or light hacks, 3 schooling rings, a pony ring, hunter land, and a huge eq/jumper ring. The atmosphere at Grazing Field Farm is surprisingly not tense, even though there is a horse show there, which is probably because everyone at the farm works really hard to make sure the days run smoothly. They have a huge team with a great work ethic. You always see the coaches hopping from horse to horse and ring to ring. I had the pleasure of training with Grazing Fields during HOTB and in the past at one day shows. I’m either training with the owner of the farm, Kathy Fletcher, or one of her coaches. But either way (even though Kathy is super awesome) I always feel taken care of, comfortable, confident, and genuinely cared about, even though I’m not a boarder or a part of their farm the majority of the time. All the trainers have given me awesome insight and tips to use with Lulu, not only when showing, but at home as well.

My last two days showing went really well. On Tuesday I competed in the training jumpers. Lulu was great, and we got a 4th and an 8th out of classes with 20 or so entries. I was really happy with the results even though we don’t ride for ribbons just yet… still learning the ropes!

Overall it was an awesome experience. While it was really exhausting, I still had a lot of fun, and the Cape Cod beach is my favorite. I totally recommend this show to anyone who wants to have a relaxing two weeks where you can easily focus on you and your horse and enjoy a show ground where everything is within walking distance (no golf cart or dirt bike necessary). I’m so pleased with how Lulu handled everything as a 6 year old OTTB competing in her first real show season.

August 13, 2016

19 Stages of Competing in a Horse Show

By: Grace O’Brien

—

Horse shows: we love them, and we hate them. There are so many ups and downs that we go through while showing. Despite everything that may go wrong during a horse show, one thing is for sure: we are hooked.

1. Weeks before the show you start doing as much research on your competition as possible.

200_s-2

2. Getting to the show grounds the day before you show with your friends like…

3. But that night the reality sets in that you’re going to have to show in front of a judge…

4. The next morning you pull yourself together and walk into the show grounds like…

5. You try getting your horse to come near you for a pre-show pep talk but it doesn’t really work out.

6. You get your horse ready for the show ring and while you wish they looked like this:

beautifol

They actually look like this:

7. You head to the ring to warm up and see your friends and family cheering for you.

8. While you’re warming up you to try to be discrete about looking at your competition and it looks more like this:

9. Your warm up goes decently well, and you’re feeling kind of ready.

10. But then the nerves set in…

11. Your trainer gives you some words of encouragement and off you go!

12. You trot into the ring and pick up the canter but feel like this inside:

13. You give the course the best you got – or at least try to

14. The judge and the ring steward watch your ride like…

15. While your trainer is watching at the in-gate like:

16. Finally your division is over and everyone tries to get their horses to stand still in the lineup, but it ends up looking like this:

17. You’re sitting in the line up minding your own business when you hear your name called for first place:

18. You leave the lineup to take pictures, and as you wait for your victory gallop, you pause to take it all in – all of the hard work, sweat and most likely tears, has paid off.

19. After you take care of your horse and hug your trainer, you then go raid the horse show’s concession stand…

Followed by a nap on the closest tack trunk:

lineup

August 3, 2016

Confessions of An Aspiring Amateur: Following your intuition in riding

12715375_10205735361246693_4642775076942837591_n Over a year ago, I was faced with the task of finding a new barn on very short notice. My trainer (at the time) and I went on a manhunt, trying to find the best facility for me and my pony (I only had two horses at the time). I knew I had goals of showing, so finding a show facility was important to me, as was finding one with good care because it was clear I wasn’t going to find a new facility that was a. close by and b. allowed outside trainers.

I reached out to my farrier for some recommendations, and he told me to call a woman named Holly (now my trainer). He told me she was hands down the best horse caretaker and trainer in the area, and he would make a phone call for me to see if my trainer at the time could come with me (Equestrian Lesson: this is why you should always be nice to your farriers, vets, masseuses, chiropractors, etc.)

I spoke with Holly on the phone, and I instantly fell in love with her mission, her facility (though I hadn’t seen it), and everything she had to offer. She seemed to be the perfect fit for me, even though the barn was a bit further than I would have liked. However, quality care was important to me as was a show atmosphere because that was my goal now.

My trainer at the time and I looked around at a few new places, but I still kept coming back to Holly’s place. I really felt it was the right fit for me, well.. us, and every other facility I visited paled in comparison. Additionally, Holly was willing to allow my trainer to come in and teach me, as a favor to my farrier since I was such a good client to his (see my equestrian lesson cited above).

I decided that I wanted to move to Holly’s facility, and shortly thereafter, we made the move. The care was impeccable; the facilities beautiful; the ring was gorgeous; and Holly was super nice and accommodating. She made me and my horses feel at home as did the barn owner, and that was something I really appreciated, especially because I was sort of encroaching on her territory by bringing in an outside trainer.

As you all know, last May, I decided to switch trainers and begin riding with Holly. After some reflection, a lame horse as Garden State Horse Show, and a lesson with Holly on one of her school horses where I realized that confidence I had built up over the two years I was at other barns, I realized that it wasn’t so scary switching trainers.

My intuition was right. There was a reason I was so strongly pulled to Holly’s facility, and now she is not just the trainer I see myself sticking with for the rest of my career, but also someone I can call a close friend (and coincidentally, she went to college with my boyfriend, and they hung out frequently – weird, right?)

Oftentimes we may be feeling something in our gut but suppressing it. It can do with anything related to horseback riding. I urge you to go with that feeling in your gut. Your intuition is one of your most valuable tools, and you never know where it can lead you.

12745909_10205735358726630_79687092897808802_n-2 Although I am on a break from riding right now due to a head injury, Holly was upped my confidence tenfold. Before my head injury, I was showing and winning. My knowledge and riding has improved so much since I began taking consistent lessons with her. She found me the perfect horse (Monte), keeps me on my toes, talks to me as a friend, keeps me in line, and pushes me when I need to be pushed.

Note: None of this is a knock on my former trainer, and it should not be construed as such. She is a wonderful person, and she helped build my confidence from next to nothing. She was my best friend for years. She was there when I needed her most when Rascal died; when I was horse searching because I had nothing to ride at our former barn; and when things were going south in my riding life. She and I agreed it was just time to move on. My goals just didn’t mesh with the type of trainer she wanted to be, and she did the honorable thing by telling me to move onto someone else rather than keeping me as a client and promising me things on which she couldn’t follow through – like consistently attending ‘A’ rated horse shows, which require a ton of time and effort on the trainer’s part.

So next time you’re feeling your gut telling you something, take a moment and listen. It might be scary. Trust me, I never imagined myself leaving my former trainer. However, you could be cutting yourself off from a path of even more success, confidence, and better riding than you ever imagined.